cherries are sweet
by Evide
Summary: The frontier get sick from eating some delicious cherries. But why isn't Kouichi sick as well? He must take care of them, even through his troubled mind. [oneshot]


_Edit: rewrote some odd-ended sentences (march 3)_

**cherries are sweet**

**Disclaimer:** don't own digimon, probably never will —sigh—

"Multo Beuno!" Izumi exclaimed, savoring the fruity taste in her mouth. "Where did you find cherries?"

"Yeah, Junpei!" Takuya agreed, red juice all over his mouth and gloves. "They are sweet!"

"Not as sweet as Izumi!" Junpei smiled flirtatiously while the others sweat-dropped.

"Well, my boy, I'd say this is the most scrumptious fruit I've ever tasted!" Bokomon popped another ripe berry into his mouth.

"Yummy!" Neemon and Patamon chorused, juice smeared all over their cheeks. Tomoki nodded as well, cheeks bulging with the amount of fruit he'd stuffed into his mouth.

"How are the meat apples coming, Kouji?" Takuya asked cheerily, licking his fingers to savor the taste.

"Just about ready," he replied.

"Hey, remember the last time we all were around a fire like this?" Izumi perked up and simultaniously, the others got all dreamy-eyed.

"You mean the time after those TV-trees?" Tomoki wondered aloud, sighing.

"Yeah! And Tomoki, you had that nightmare," Takuya added.

"Don't remind me," the younger boy replied with a smile.

"Hey, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" Junpei said in an attempt to lighten the memory.

"Yeah, except Kouji couldn't control his beast spirit after!" Neemon said gayly and Kouji knocked him on the head.

"Auw! I wasn't there for that! Tell me what happened!" Patamon whined, cooing at Bokomon pleadingly. The others just laughed at him awkwardly. "C'mon, I want to know what happened! All of it!" he said excitedly.

"A-all of it?" Takuya imagined the few times he had been beaten and/or humiliated... fighting Raremon was a story that might be embarasing to tell.

"Hey, yeah. That's a good idea, don't you think, Kouichi?" Kouji looked at his brother, almost hidden in the shadows of the fire with a grin on his face.

"Yeah," Kouichi said quietly, "I want to know what happened..." Kouji gave him a reassuring smile and pat his brother's hands, finding them cold.

"Well, come over here," Kouji dragged his twin from behind him to sit closer to the fire, reluctance radiating from the other. But Kouichi held his hands to the hot warmth eventually and quietly nibbled on one of the meat apples everyone got while the other's told their story.

As words filled the air, Kouichi couldn't help but think that the other's were talking of some other people, because it didn't sound like the friends knew now. Kouji had never been coldhearted to him nor had Takuya ever been so dimly cocky in an immature way. He thought that he'd much rather know the people he was with right now than the other ones that they kept talking about.

_"That's right; I got to know them as the people they are right now."_ Kouichi repeated to himself as the nagging part of his mind sent him a deep watery feeling down inside; like he was drowning... But as long as he pushed those feelings and thoughts away and just listened to the story and his mantra, the feeling passed.

The sound of laughter was very enjoyable in the lone area of woods; barely any digmon left to be predators because of the Royal Knights. For now, the six children would just have some relaxation and fun, then tomorrow they would have to fight at the Autumn Leaf Fair. They all soon fell into a blissful sleep, content smiles on their faces as the remains of the fire crackled oh-so lightly.

Kouichi's eyes opened to the first rays of dawn. He found himself to be the first one up so decided to act accordingly. He put water on the fire and washed his face but he quickly ran out of things to do and the others were still not up. He packed up the leftover food for travel and started to get bored. And the others were still sleeping?

Kouichi quietly came down next to his twin and watched his face, not sure weather to wake him up and ask what was wrong or to leave him be. After some mental debate Kouichi put his hand on his brother's gently rising chest and shook it slightly.

"Kouji?" Said boy moaned and rolled over, not happy by the someone disturbing his sleep. Kouichi got over to his other side and shook him again. "Kouji, wake up." He was a little worried when Kouji moaned once more and buried his face into the leaves of a make-shift pillow. Giving up, the elder twin toed his way over to Takuya. The fire warrior would get up, right? Wrong. Takuya did more or less what Kouji had done, rolling over, moaning and then snoring.

This was not like them at all. Usually they would all get up at the same time, some internal clock of the digital world waking them from their doze. But this morning the alarm must have been broken...

Kouichi sighed, _'please forgive me, brother' _he asked inside himself, almost worried about what he was about to do. But, finding no other options left, the boy dumped a handfull of water onto his twin's face, succeeding in waking him.

"What was that for? Ow..." Kouji cringed when he sat up suddenly, clutching his stomach painfully. Kouichi worriedly sat beside him, instantly thinking it had to have been his fault.

"I-I'm sorry. You just... no one would get up and I—"

"You didn't do anything." Kouji cut him off and leaned on one wrist as the other held onto his stomach. "My stomach just hurts."

"Well, maybe you should sleep some more. I mean, no one else is awake and—"

"I'm fine, Kouichi." Kouji cut him off again. When he noticed a worried look on the other's face he smiled at him reassuringly. "Let's get the others and move out." He stood up shakily before falling back down again, scrunching up his face as pain knotted up inside his stomach.

"I... can I get you something?" Kouichi asked, trying to put his brother back into the leaves of the bed. Kouji sighed and reluctantly went back under the covers, shaking his head to Kouichi. The boy got up anyway and managed to get some sort of cup to hold water in and he gave it to Kouji.

"What about the others?" Kouji groaned out.

"I think it might be the same thing..." Kouichi looked around helplessly to the other sleeping forms and then glanced back at Kouji.

"Well, at least you're doing alright, hm?" Kouji smiled but Kouichi frowned. There was something oddly familiar about that... "Something is wrong." Kouji stated rather than asked, seeing the other's face fall.

"It's just... I-...I've heard that before." Kouichi pulled his legs up to his chest as Kouji tried to sit up more.

"When? What happened?" He wasn't trying to be nosy, but he could tell the other had something to say. But Kouichi just shook his head; he was being silly... paranoid.

"It was nothing." He brushed off but Kouji wasn't going to take that. The slightly-younger twin sat up once more and grasped his twins shoulders in his hands.

"Its not nothing," he said. "C'mon, It's alright, you can tell me! I'm your brother, you can tell me anything." Kouichi met the other's penetrating stare, blue eyes locking in on one another.

"Well... its just—" his confession was cut short from the sound of low moans. Kouichi reluctantly left his brother's warm embrace to examine the source of the disturbance.

"Patamon? Are you okay?" Kouichi gently touched the digimon's leather-like wings to try and comfort him.

"My tummy hur-hurts!" He whined, holding the offending area.

"No more rumbly tummy..." Neemon said in a daze then burped quite loudly.

"Uhg, Neemon say excuse me! Burrp... oh, excuse me" Bokomon blushed a bit from embarrassment.

"Can I get you anything?" Kouichi asked uncertainly, pulling up on the leaves as a blanket for the three.

"Uuhg, don't trouble yourself my boy. We'll just sleep it off. Probably only a small stomach virus..." Bokomon reassured and promptly closed his eyes.

"A nap does sound good..." Patamon agreed and snuggled into his papamom's warmth. Neemon snored, apparently agreeing also. Kouichi nodded and decided that it would be best to just wait for the virus to wear off. He set out to gather more leaves and other stuff he could use as bedings and found Kouji up when he got back.

Kouichi set down his load and then came over to his brother, worried. "Kouji, you really should get some sleep. Go back to bed," he said in concern.

"No. I'm fine. I won't sleep until you tell me what's wrong." Kouji was determined to try to help his twin and he wasn't going to let some stomach infection stop him.

"Oh, that? It really isn't anything to worry over." Kouichi forced his twin back to the comfort of the leaves and laid him down. "You're sick. Just try and get some sleep." Kouichi pulled off his green over-shirt and tucked Kouji beneath it. Kouji was about to protest when more moans came from the others.

Kouichi headed over to the sounds of the interruption with another cup full of water. He gave the youngest form a gentle shake. "Here Tomoki, drink this," Kouichi lifted the cup to Tomoki's mouth and helped it run down the other's throat.

"Uuuhg. Kouichi, I don't feel so good..." Tomoki moaned.

"It's alright, just get some sleep." Kouji had to smile at his brother's gentle care. He really was very kind and so in tune to other's needs. The least he could do for him would be to get better... he laid down and rested his eyes.

Kouichi went back to his brother's side to find him in a light slumber. He smiled and pulled up on the cloth of the shirt for the other as a sheet. It made him feel very comforted to know he could help, and to know his new-found twin would be okay.

"Uhhn, Kouichi?" Izumi started to wake up and when she noticed the other she sat up with a groan.

"Oh, Izumi. Are you feeling well? Can I get you something?" Izumi looked around at the others all in dream land and laid back down.

"Actually, my head kinda hurts. Would you mind getting me a wet cloth or something? If it wouldn't be too mush trouble..." Well, a girl has got to have her priorities but she wasn't going to be rude.

"No trouble at all," Kouichi got up. "I'll be right back." A wet cloth was a good idea so Kouichi found some soft material and got it wet for everyone and returned with the girl asleep once more. He put the moss-like substance on her forehead anyway and then put some on the other's also. Takuya stirred from his doze unexpectedly.

The fire warrior yawned then clutched his stomach as he felt a pressure on it. He tried to get up but the pain in his stomach wouldn't let him move.

"Don't try to get up," Kouichi warned when he saw the scrunched look on the other's face.

"Jeeze, thanks for the warning." Takuya grumbled then he noticed something wet trail down his face from his forehead. The brunette glanced at the substance disgustedly, then looked at the others. "Uhg, what's wrong?"

"Everyone's sick with a virus..." Kouichi said. "You should just get some sleep." Takuya nodded then laid down before sitting up again suddenly.

"Hey, what about you?" Takuya received a questioning look from the other. "Aren't you sick, too?" Kouichi shook his head. "Oh. Well, why not?" he asked in a curious fashion, laying down again. Kouichi thought about it but shrugged, then there was a really loud moan from Takuya's side.

"Ooohh, my stomach. I shouldn't have ate so many cherries..." Junpei said as he came to. He looked around at all the others then smiled weakly at the two awake.

"Uuhg. Junpei you're cherries gave everyone a stomach flu!" Takuya moaned and clutched his tummy.

"Ooops. Sorry... hey, Kouichi didn't you eat some too? Are you sick?" The older boy questioned.

"Yeah, I ate some but I'm not sick at all." Kouichi started to think about what Kouji had asked him, lapsing into a distant gaze as he pondered. The two brunettes watched him, then glanced at each other and shrugged, going back to sleep and quickly slipping off to dream land.

_"This happened when we were on the moon... everyone was hurt except for me. And now, everyone is sick."_ Kouichi pulled in his legs and set his head on them. _"Why just me?"_

——————

Kouji woke up some time afterwards, feeling refreshed and pain gone. He wiped away the moss on his forehead and tied his bandana on when he noticed that Kouichi wasn't up. He looked at the other piles of leaves, thinking he might have gone to sleep but he didn't see him anywhere. Kouji got up and started to trek around the grounds, trying to stay calm as a deep down fright nagged at him. He felt relief wash over him when he saw his twin sitting at the edge of the water source, legs pulled up to his chest.

Kouichi turned around at him when he heard his foot steps. "Kouji! What are you doing up? Get some more sleep." Kouji smiled at him.

"I'm fine now. I think I slept it off." He sat down by his brother and the two looked into the water, their reflections starring back at them. "So what was it that happened before?"

"What, that again? You never give up, do you?" Kouichi sighed and pulled in his legs more. "Really Kouji, it's fine." The other was about to press on when he felt something sharp brush his hand. Kouji lifted into his hands a sharp, hard rock, fingering the smooth surface. He sighed and threw it onto the water, making it skip one, twice, thrice, before plopping under the surface. Kouichi let out a smile.

"Alright." Kouji stood. "The other's will be up soon, come on." He headed off to the camp but Kouichi stayed put a bit longer. With Kouji gone, Kouichi pulled out another sharp rock from it's hiding place in his hands. He placed the sharp pebble down onto the soft flesh on the back of the opposite hand and made a quick line of blood.

And the red went away instantly to recover with new flesh. Kouichi tried once more to cut himself but his skin was unfazed. "I really can't get hurt..." He sighed and threw the rock into the water and walked back to camp.

The stone skipped once, twice, thrice before sinking under the surface of the liquid with a plop.

**------(Done)------**

Kouichi is not a cutter- he was just worried about his existance. In the anime, it was very prominent that he was worried about it even before Crusadermon told him, and it was also noticable that he cared a lot for his friends (reference: "The Man In The Moon Is You"). This all happened right before he learned he was just a spirit, and so he had no idea what was wrong with him, making it even more troublesome. Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading.


End file.
